This invention relates to ink jet printers, and particularly manufacture of orifice plates for use with ink jet printers and assembly therewith.
Generally, thermal ink jet printers have a print cartridge. The print cartridge often includes a print head having an orifice plate defining one or more arrays of numerous orifices through which droplets of fluid are expelled onto a medium to generate a desired pattern.
An orifice plate has a core plate material that is typically formed of a metal. Typically, an area of the core plate material is exposed during the manufacturing process. Often, the metals forming the core plate material are susceptible to corrosion by some fluids used in the cartridges. Further, the metal in the orifice plate sometimes forms a galvanic cell with some of the fluids used in the cartridge. With corrosion or the formation of a galvanic cell with the orifice plate, the cartridge is more likely to be rendered inoperable prematurely.
Often the exposed areas of the plate are encapsulated with an inert coating. However, the coating often extends over the plate to at least partially block the orifices through which fluid is to be expelled in a printing process. Consequently, an adequate margin between the orifices and exposed areas is employed. The size of the print head die onto which the plate is attached is thereby directly affected. It is desired to minimize the size of the print head die due to the costs associated with the material used therein. Accordingly, it is desired to manufacture orifice plates that minimize print head die size, resist corrosion and minimize galvanic cell formation.
In one embodiment, a plate has a rectangular plate body with a plurality of nozzle arrays. The plate also has first and second end zones in between the plurality of nozzle arrays and opposing ends of the plate body, respectively. There is a break tab in at least one of the first and second end zones. In between the first and second end zones is a middle zone. A plating material encapsulates the plate body in the middle zone.
Many of the attendant features of this invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols designate like parts throughout.